How to Attract Publicity Opportunities

Last week I received a nice surprise in my email inbox: an invitation to have my studio featured on a local news program.

Of course I accepted this invitation, and the interview and filming took place this past weekend. I’m thrilled that my business is getting such nice exposure…and the price is pretty nice, too: $0.

This isn’t the first time I’ve been contacted for publicity opportunities; in the past three years, my studio has been featured on numerous times on television, radio, and in the newspaper. And while I feel incredibly fortunate to have these opportunities, there are some strategies I’ve put into place that helped attract such attention.

• Stand out from other studios. There are LOTS of music studios in my city, most of which have been around for many years longer than mine. However, my studio is set apart from others because of the fact that I’m a board-certified music therapist and offer music therapy in addition to music lessons. What makes your studio unique? That’s the very thing that will get you noticed, as long as you make it known to your community.
• Be available. My business cards (which I wrote about last month) list just about every possible way I can be contacted, and so does my website. Have a presence on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Places, and share your email address freely. This not only boosts your visibility, but will make it easy for people to seek you out.
• Make community outreach a priority. Participate in workshops, fundraisers, and other events that let you (and your students) connect with lots of people in your area. Giving back to your community just feels good, and a nice bonus is that it boosts your studio’s reputation — and therefore, makes it even more worthy of publicity.
• Spread the word to the right people. Do you have a friend who works for a local station or writes for the newspaper? If not, you probably know someone who knows such a person. Just mentioning my business to an acquaintance is how I landed my first news feature, and all my radio appearances have resulted from interactions with a friend on Facebook who happens to work for a station and follows my studio page.

Some of these strategies require you to step out of your comfort zone, but then again, that’s what owning a business is all about! What tips would you add to my list?